A cross between classic meatloaf, beef bourguignon and chicken marsala, these Marsala Mushroom mini Meatloaves epitomize nostalgic comfort food. I fell in love with cooking with dry marsala wine back in culinary school. the flavor, when cooked down in a sauce or gravy, is unparalleled in adding savory dimension to a dish.
I use dry marsala twice in this recipe- once to deglaze my mirepoix vegetables, and again to form the base of the mushroom marsala gravy. The alcohol cooks off and leaves concentrated flavor making this a family friendly and a toddler approved meal, as well. my husband, who is definitely not a mushroom fan, also gobbled them down. Win-win-win.
marsala mushroom meatloaf ingredients:
- ground beef: we are using 80/20 or 85/15 ground beef to keep Marsala Mushroom mini Meatloaves moist and light.
- mirepoix: sautéed onions, celery & carrots begin this flavorful meatloaf filling or skip the chopping with this frozen shortcut!
- aromatics: fresh garlic, fresh sage and fresh rosemary are essential for this autumn comfort food flavor profile.
- Gluten-free binders: soaking your bread of choice in half and half makes this meatloaf filling light and tender. I use our favorite Paleo Bread from Unrefined Bakery but you can use whatever bread you like.
- tomato paste: this helps add depth of flavor to our meatloaf filling.
- marsala: make sure to find a dry marsala wine- sweet will be too sweet.
- wild mushrooms: use what you like! I used sliced cremini mushrooms but these will be fabulous with your favorites- hen of the woods, beech, shiitake or white buttons.
- grain-free thickener: to thicken this marsala sauce into a gravy consistency, I use tapioca flour to keep it gluten and grain-free.
serving inspiration:
you could go in so many directions with these Marsala Mushroom mini Meatloaves. They can be sophisticated enough to serve at a dinner party with fancy sides, yet laid-back enough to serve at a casual Sunday supper while watching football. here is some meal inspiration to mix it up:
- weeknight dinner: serve mini meatloaves with roasted root vegetables & sliced avocado.
- dinner party: serve mini meatloaves with parmesan polenta, grilled broccolini and my truffled plum & burrata salad.
- large sunday supper: serve mini meatloaves with baked potatoes, green bean casserole & cornbread.
- leftover sandwich: serve cold leftover mini meatloaf slices on toasted gf bread with avocado oil mayonnaise, shaved red onion & sliced Roma tomatoes.
Marsala Mushroom Mini Meatloaves
Ingredients
Mini Meatloaves:
- 1.5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup yellow onions diced small
- 1/4 cup carrots diced small
- 1/4 cup celery diced small
- 1/2 cup cremini mushrooms minced finely
- 3 garlic cloves grated on the microplane
- 1 T fresh sage minced
- 1 T fresh rosemary minced
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 Tablespoons dry marsala wine
- 1 egg whisked
- 1/2 cup cubed bread (I used Unrefined Bakery Paleo Bread)
- 1/4 cup half & half
- 1/2 Tablespoon pink Himalayan salt
- 20 turns freshly-ground black pepper
- 1.25 pounds ground beef 85/15 or 80/20
Marsala Mushroom Gravy:
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 20 sage leaves with stems removed
- 2 cups cremini mushrooms sliced thinly
- 1 Tablespoon garlic cloves sliced thinly
- 2 Tablespoons tapioca flour
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/2 cup dry marsala wine
- 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
- 10 turns freshly-ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large saute pan, heat pan over medium high heat and add olive oil, carrots, onion, celery and mushrooms. Saute until vegetables are tender and lightly browning, approximately 5 minutes.
- While veggies are sautéing, stir together your cubed bread with half and half in a small bowl to absorb the liquid.
- Next, to your veggies, stir in garlic, sage, rosemary and tomato paste and sauté 1-2 minutes further.
- Deglaze pan with two tablespoons dry marsala wine, scraping up any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Set veggies aside off the heat to cool, about 5-10 minutes.
- With a fork, press down your softened bread cubes into the half & half to get a paste-like consistency. Add to a large bowl, discarding any unabsorbed half & half.
- Also to the large bowl, add in cooled vegetables, ground beef, egg, salt and pepper.
- Use your hands to lightly and minimally mix ingredients until all have just come together, very careful not to overmix.
- With your hand, score meat mixture in half, then in fourths. Handling 1/4 at a time, split each into two and form into football-shaped mini meatloaves yielding 8 meatloaves total.
- Add to a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake at 400 degrees, for 20 minutes total, rotating 180 degrees midway through. Set aside while preparing gravy.
- In your same large saute pan from earlier, add butter and olive oil over medium-high heat and let melt and warm up, 1-2 minutes. Uniformly disperse your sage leaves and let pan fry, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel and turn heat down.
- To the sage-scented oil mixture, add your sliced mushrooms and garlic. Saute until lightly browned about 5-6 minutes.
- Slowly sprinkle your tapioca flour atop mushrooms and stir to absorb. Pour atop beef broth, marsala, salt and pepper and let mixture come to a simmer, while whisking constantly.
- When mixture comes to a simmer and begins thickening, add your meatloaves to the pan, spooning your gravy atop.
- Serve right out of the pan garnished with crispy sage leaves.
